Tuesday, 26 April 2016

The American boots on the ground that aren't boots on the ground

More
boots on the ground: Obama sends 250 more US troops to Syria

US
President Barack Obama confirmed plans to dramatically increase the
American troop presence in Syria by deploying an additional 250
personnel, bringing the total to 300. He said the troops would help
drive out the Islamic State terrorist group.

The
move, which was first reported by the media, will once again
contradict Obama’s 2013 promise of not putting any “American
boots on the ground in Syria.”

“Just
as I have approved additional support for Iraqi forces against ISIL
(Islamic State, previously ISIS/ISIL - RT), I've decided to increase
US support for local forces fighting ISIL in Syria,” Obama said.

“A
small number of US special operations forces are already on the
ground in Syria,” he said. “Their expertise has been critical as
local forces have been driving ISIL out of key areas. So given the
success, I have approved the deployment of up to 250 additional US
personnel in Syria, including special forces, to keep up this
momentum.”

It
was not immediately clear how many of those 250 troops would be added
to special operations, medical or intelligence support. According to
Obama, they will be involved in special operations as well as in
training and assisting Syrian opposition forces to fight IS.

Speaking
in Hannover, Germany, Obama said NATO members can and should do more
to fight Islamic State.

"In
Syria and Iraq we need more nations contributing to their campaign.
We need more nations contributing trainers to help build up local
forces in Iraq. We need more nations to contribute economic
assistance to Iraq so it can stabilise liberated areas and break the
cycle of violent extremism so that ISIL cannot come back," he
said.

He
is meeting top European officials, including German Chancellor Angela
Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President
Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

The
escalation of the American military presence in Syria may undermine
the ongoing UN effort to bring Damascus and ‘moderate’ opposition
armed groups to a peaceful transition after five years of war,
Hans-Christof von Sponeck, a veteran German diplomat and former UN
assistant secretary-general, told RT.

“Obama
is entering his last six months and he wants to leave a legacy that
shows some sign of success. And Americans are never short of
experiments,” he said. “It’s jumping from one laboratory test
to another and in the meantime the county continues to go further to
destruction.”

The
first time Obama broke his 2013 promise of no “American boots on
the ground in Syria” was when he sent 50 US special operations
forces to Syria last year, claiming the move as a “counterterrorism”
measure and not a step closer to a ground invasion.

Obama
won the presidency first time around in 2008 by pledging to bring
peace to the Middle East. However, in recent years, decisions were
made to keep adding US troops in the region to help control numerous
conflicts.

Obama’s
decision to boost the number of American troops on the ground in
Syria brings up issues concerning the previous failures of the US
train and equip program that dealt with unreliable opposition
fighters.

The
Pentagon gave up on the training part of the project in October,
after senior Obama administration officials admitted that the US had
only trained a handful of fighters, despite the program’s $500
million budget.

Moreover,
it was revealed in September that one group of trainees had
surrendered one quarter of their US-supplied weapons, ammunition, and
vehicles in exchange for safe passage through territory held by
another rebel group affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

This
boost to American ground force also raises legal concerns for Obama.
An expansion of the US role highlights that America is in war against
IS, which under the Constitution requires congressional
authorization, which Obama has never received.

In
addition to more troops in Syria, the Pentagon announced last week
that 217 additional military personnel and Apache helicopters will be
sent to Iraq, largely in an advisory capacity, on how to fight
Islamic State. The additional troops will bring US troop levels in
Iraq to 4,087.

The
US-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against IS in Iraq
and Syria since mid-2014. However, the US involvement in Syria began
without the approval of the Syrian government of President Bashar
Assad.